The four major media organisations Saturday issued an open letter to the military junta urging it to lift coup orders that restrict the press freedom and to have a new constitution enacted as soon as possible.

The four organisations are the Thai Journalists Association, the Press Council of Thailand, the Thai Broadcast Journalists, and the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand.

The open letter called on the National Peace and Order Maintaining Council to urgently review all orders that are involved with the journalist duty of the media.

The organisations suggested that the NPOMC should have the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission enforce existing laws to supervise news reports instead of using the restrictive orders to control the media.

The letter also called on the NPOMC to clearly declare that it would support and would not obstruct the journalist duty of all types of media because such a stand would create confidence among Thais and in the eyes of the international community.

The organisations said the NPOMC should urgently arrange for the new charter to be enacted and the new charter should have provisions that guarantee the press freedom.

The organisations also called on the media and journalists to give priority to national interests in their works and provide space for constructive comments for national reforms.

The media and journalist are also called on to have responsibility in their freedom of expression.